


Make The Night Feel Good

by GILDED_MOMENTS



Category: The Boys (Comics), The Boys (TV 2019)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:53:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27160724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GILDED_MOMENTS/pseuds/GILDED_MOMENTS
Summary: After a rough mission, that results in dozens of casualties Madelyn is force to confront The Homelander about what happened. It results in a change to their relationship that neither one of them can ignore.
Relationships: The Homelander | John/Madelyn Stillwell
Comments: 12
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this started as a one shot but as I write I think it will be a full fledged story. It tells the progression of Homelander’s relationship with Madelyn Stillwell when Vought Towers lies quiet at night. Please leave comments if you enjoy it!

The first time that Madelyn Stillwell visited John after hours, she felt like she was violating a rule that didn’t technically exist on paper. She never saw her supes outside of work. Doing so in her mind shattered her work life balance. A very important balance that she needed to maintain. 

Unfortunately for her, John also known as The Homelander was a special project. The Homelander was Vought’s number one money maker. He was their movie star, their top crime fighter, and their trending celebrity. It was her job to make sure that his needs were met and that he was happy. This proved to be difficult as man didn’t have vices like the rest of The Seven. When he was upset she couldn’t encourage him to go drink his sorrows away like his former counterpart Queen Maeve. Video games just weren’t fun for him like they were for A-Train or The Deep. 

The truth was, that when The Homelander wasn’t out on his missions he spent his time alone in his suite. She did not know what he did in there all day. She assumed he slept since his missions were normally all hours. She read his file first when she took the job and learned that he had a bit of an unusual upbringing. He was raised by Vought and its scientists. It was immediately clear to her that he needed some special attention. So she always kept her ringer on just for those nights when he had hard missions and needed a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. 

Ultimately, she wound up becoming something of a maternal figure to him. He may have been nearly forty years old but he was severely underdeveloped in certain ways. She realized he had a hard time expressing his emotions and controlling his temper. Something that caused friction between the rest of the team at times. Mostly because when his emotions got out of control he was known to have violent outbursts. Many of which ended in something being set on fire by his lazer beams. 

Lately, John was getting careless on missions according to Maeve. There were more casualties at their rescues. Casualties that could be avoided if their leader just kept his head in the game. She noticed negative trends in the reports that came out every week. He was saving fewer and fewer people. If their approval ratings went down so did everyone’s paychecks on that floor which was something no one wanted. 

When she tried talking to him about it at the tower he started getting short and choppy with her. It became harder and harder to get him focused on her messages. Communication was breaking down and that wouldn’t do at all. She was losing her grip on her biggest asset. 

On the night that everything began to change, she got a call from Maeve, who told her she needed to do something drastic. According to Maeve he screwed up a rescue mission in a big way. And she was going to have to clean it up. Madelyn got in her car and drove to the tower immediately, she needed to strike while the iron was hot. Even if it meant facing John’s wrath. 

————

She didn’t need to knock, before she even raised her hand to the door it swung open. It appeared that the superhero had been expecting her. “I saw you coming the moment the elevator got to my floor,” he told her. His voice was low and unpleasant.

She smiled at him knowing that it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Homelander, you and I both know we need to talk.” Her voice was stern and a small frown formed on the hero’s face. 

His jaw twitched and he stepped back, silently inviting her in. His eyes followed her into the large marble suite. She could read that he wasn’t in the mood for talking, she was going to have to pull teeth with him tonight. 

They made it into the living room and she stood in the center of the room waiting for him to come in and get comfortable. He sat down on a large couch and stared at the floor, away from his boss. 

“What happened tonight?” She asked him. 

His silence was loud. He was avoiding the subject but that wasn’t an option.

She took a step forward “Homelander, I need you to be honest with me.” 

He shifted in his seat before he mumbled something under his breath that she couldn’t hear. She raised her eyebrows at him. “A little louder please.” 

“I said I couldn’t save them!” He shouted. He raised his head and for the first time she got an up close view of his lazers heating up. Blue eyes shifted into a bright crimson and his face was a mask of anger. 

Madelyn’s instincts were to back away from the angry supe but instead she took another step forward so that she was in arms reach of him. He was looking directly at her now. His body tense. His hands were clutching the material of the couch, his cape bunched beneath him. 

“Walk me through what happened,” she urged him gently. Her hand gently rose to touch his face, the glow in his eyes flickered and burned out. He looked confused for a moment but he decided to speak. 

“There were more bombers than we thought on the train and not enough time to get the passengers all to safety. So after they blew up the first train car, I tried to take out one of the bombers in the lead car and it blew up the entire fucking thing…..everyone died.” His voice got quieter as he spoke. 

Madelyn felt her heart drop as she looked at the face that normally looked so confident and sure. It was vulnerable and clearly pained by what happened on the train. Her hand on his face was gentle as she caressed him. Her mind is already working to do damage control. As she goes to pull away from him, a gloved hand reaches up and holds her hand there. 

“Please,” he whispered barely loud enough for her to hear. 

There was a small twinge of something at the base of her stomach. Apprehension but also a desire to stay and help. She had seen the way he looked at her sometimes. Like he worshipped the ground she walked on. Those moments she always told herself were nothing. But she suddenly reconsidered that position as he sat looking up at her with baby blues. 

She wasn’t sure what his plea was for exactly but whatever it was, it wasn’t appropriate. She was at the end of the day his boss. He answered to her and in turn it was her job to take care of him. He was hurting right now and she had to be careful what impression she gave him. 

“Please what, John?” She asked gently. 

Blue eyes looked up at her full of sadness. Did he even know what he was asking for? She took another step closer, her legs now close to touching his. Her other hand moved to the hero’s shoulder, fingers caressing the golden eagle. His eyes closed and a single tear began to fall. 

“Don’t, it’s going to be okay.” She pulled him forward and into a warm hug. Her hands gently moving in circles on his back to soothe him. His cheek rested against her chest and she gently ran a hand through his hair. 

She stood like this for several minutes, embracing the strong supe who was now crying in her arms. She wasn’t surprised. She had read his files from cover to cover. She was aware that he had emotional tendencies under observation. She never witnessed them first hand however not until now. It made her feel sorry for him. She was keenly aware he carried the weight of the entire country on his back. 

The worst part is that he largely did it alone. Sure he had Maeve for a few months but ultimately they didn’t work out and he was back to his social isolation. Spending all day in his suite but only coming out when he was called to duty. What went through his head on a regular basis that he wasn’t sharing with her or any of his teammates? 

“Thank you for telling me what happened tonight,” her voice was gentle as she rubbed small circles on his back. 

John nodded against her bosom, and she pulled back a little to look at him. His eyes were rimmed red and puffy. “Why don’t we get you to bed?” It wouldn’t do to have him upset about this all night. He nodded and stood up. “Show me where your room is.” She instructed. 

She wasn’t expecting to feel the leather of his gloves on her hands as he led her to his room. Opening the door and ushering her through, he said nothing. Madelyn took the opportunity to observe his chambers and noticed that he left everything stock. Exactly the way it was designed. He had no pictures or personal artifacts in the room at all. What a waste of the most beautiful suite Vought had to offer. 

There was a rustling noise behind her and she turned to watch him remove the heavy eagles from his shoulder to remove the cape. Then came the belt. She swallowed.He didn’t think that she meant they were both going to bed? She watched him take off his boots and sit on the edge of the bed, his eyes were focused on the floor. Still red and hazy. 

“Do you need me to leave so you can-” his head snapped up and he cut her statement off before she could finish it. 

“No! Please stay.” His eyes locked with hers and made it hard for her to mask her surprise. She knew that he could read people and right now she was afraid of what he was picking up on her. Heart racing at his outburst she felt put on the spot. She swallowed and tried to bring her pounding heart to a normal speed. 

She sat next to him on the bed and his eyes didn’t leave hers. “You know it would be inappropriate if we crossed certain lines.” 

He frowned even deeper at her statement before he tilted his head to the side. Realization passed across his face and she couldn’t help but notice a slight color appear in his cheeks. Who knew that he could blush so easily at the suggestion? 

“Madelyn, I didn’t mean...please just stay and hold me. You’re the first person to touch me in months.” his voice was softer than she’d ever heard it. 

Even that was a big boundary for them to break. But these were unusual circumstances. She nodded and he let out a sigh. “Okay, finish getting ready for bed okay?” Madelyn decided to assist him so she stood up and moved to the dressers. As she opened all of the drawers she realized each and every one of them was empty. 

“I normally just sleep in my suit.” he explained from the bed. 

She frowned, that was news to her. She’d catalogue that as a later issue. Right now she needed him to come down. “Okay, well go ahead and lay down.” 

He followed her instructions and laid back on the perfectly made bed. Did he not use the sheets either? Somehow she wasn’t surprised by that fact, the man was like a sentinel. She laid down next to him and gently ran her hand up and down his arm soothingly. 

“Come here John.” She whispered gently as she opened her arms up preparing to hold him close. He didn’t say a single word as he shifted so that he was lying partially on top of her, his head gently nuzzling into the crook of her neck. His arms looped under her own securly. 

It was there in each other’s embrace that they drifted off to sleep without saying another word.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John decides to burry a bus full of innocent people on a covert mission and texts Madelyn for emotional support. She comes to him at once and more barriers are crossed in their relationship that she won't be able to reconstruct.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who have read this so far. Remember this is mostly just an insight to the more intimate side of their relationship but with a slow burn aspect to it. So things won't get smutty right off the bat but at the heart of it it is a smut piece so there isn't much substance outside of the angst and the smut ;)

The second time she found herself in his quarters was after a distraught text message from the supe. The text was short and to the point, but what was concerning was that he sent it at eleven o'clock at night. Madelyn thankfully noticed it several minutes after receiving the message and was able to get to the tower on short notice. There was almost no traffic at that time of night, nothing to get in the way of her travel. 

She didn’t bother to knock this time, since he was expecting her. She just let herself in. The living room was open and she set her purse down on the first end table closest to the door before taking off her jacket. 

“John?” she called out hesitantly, her voice was low but she was aware that he would have picked up on her the moment she walked into his suite. 

“I’m in the bedroom,” came his reply from that direction. Thankfully she remembered where it was from her last visit a few weeks ago and she quietly made her way to the room where a dim light came from the cracked door. 

She pushed it open and cautiously looked inside to see the supe sitting on the edge of his bed, head in his hands. His suit was covered in some sort of filth she couldn’t make out in the dim lighting and his normally pristine face was covered in dust. 

The text that he had sent her gave her the only explanation she wanted from him this night; 

I buried them. All of them. 

She wouldn’t ask any questions. Not tonight. And not from him directly. They would send a cleanup team to handle the situation. It had been a rescue mission he was on tonight. One in Russia that they didn’t technically have the authorization to perform. She already had a team of experts working on it. It would be fine. Vought could spin this. They could spin anything. 

She slowly entered the room and closed the door behind her. He didn’t bother to look up, his eyes stayed fixed on the floor in front of him. As she approached him, she took in what looked like a very thick layer of dirt and mud caking his suit. Oh, he certainly went through multiple layers of Earth. That material was designed to be the most resistant on the planet. 

She tried to block out the many scenarios it could have been that led him to bury an entire bus full of people. “John, can you look at me?” she asked him gently. 

The blond supe looked up at her, his head not quite leaving his hands, chin still resting on dusty gloves. His eyes were empty as he gazed at her, not quite focusing on her eyes. 

“Here’s what I need you to do okay, go into the bathroom and take off your suit okay? Shower and get this dirt off okay. Get nice and clean. Put on some clean shorts. You have shorts right?” She knew he wore his suit most of the time but surely under the suit he wore underpants. 

John nodded. 

“Good, when you’ve put them on come back out into the bedroom and we’ll get ready for bed okay. I’m already taking care of everything. Don’t worry about anything that happened tonight. I will make everything go away.” Her voice was calming, no doubt 

He nodded and stood up, his eyes were still empty as he was clearly on autopilot. John was blindly following her orders as he moved to the bathroom. He did not bother to close the door behind him. But she was thankful that the long bathroom did not allow her to see where he had begun to disrobe himself or enter the shower. 

While John cleaned off, Madelyn took the time to look around the bedroom. The last time that she was here she hadn’t done so. His closet was mostly empty save for a few pairs of boots and about ten super suits. All the same. Several of them looked like they had little to no wear at all on them ever. Some of them looked like they had seen a great deal. 

She then closed the closet doors and moved to the dressers where she found simply two pairs of sweatpants and a few pairs of simple black boxer briefs. In a second drawer were a Vought volunteer t-shirt and a soft blue blanket. The rest of his dresser drawers were disturbingly empty. 

She did not hear the supe emerge from the bathroom and was startled when she turned around to see him sitting on the bed again. This time he looked clean, he had a towel around his neck, his blonde hair dark and slightly damp as it was slicked back across his head. 

He had done as she asked and changed into boxers, revealing to Madelyn for the first time his toned physique to her. She felt her mouth go slightly dry as she took in the expanse of exposed upper body she had never seen before. She expected him to be in good shape of course and naturally, he was just a man under the suit but finally seeing him in person felt very intimate. She felt another boundary snap between them. 

“Do you need clothes, Madelyn?” He asked, clearly referring to the fact she had just been snooping around his bedroom. 

She swallowed knowing that her vitals were elevating rapidly and that she couldn’t lie her way out of this. He was attempting to call her bluff. 

“No actually I don’t John, I was curious about you,” the truth was the better option here. 

He titled his head to the side for a moment “What did you find?” 

A small but sad smile spread across her features. “I realized that you really are The Homelander. And that there’s not a lot of room for John.” She confessed as she approached him. 

His jaw twitched at her words, she struck a clear nerve but he wasn’t going to back away from her words. He still needed her. She was standing in front of him now, and he gazed up at her, his eyes meeting hers, sad but unyielding. She was thankful for it in a way, his gaze forcing her eyes to remain locked on his soft blue eyes keeping them from straying to the expanse of flesh that was exposed for her to see. 

His hands reached out and slowly grabbed one of hers, bringing it close to his body until it rested just over his heart. His eyes never left hers and she felt her pulse quicken with the contact. Was he scanning her? She wondered. His heart felt like a drum under her hand, strong and loud. And she felt herself swallow as she took a step closer so that she was standing even closer so that she was between his widened legs. 

Without thinking, her free hand came up to gently touch the side of his face. His eyelids fluttered shut for a moment in content and a small smile broke out across his lips. She felt warmth spread across her belly at his immediate reaction to the contact. She gently ran her thumb across his cheekbone and along his jaw, tracing the lines as she memorized this moment and she noticed his breathing become deeper with every touch. 

Without thinking, a pass of her thumb glanced his bottom lip and John’s eyes widened momentarily before his pupils began to dilate. Madelyn felt color enter her cheeks at the accidental touch but before she could apologize, John gently took her hand and guided her thumb back to his slightly parted lips. A question in his eyes. 

She gently traced his lips with her thumb, watching the color flood them slowly. His tongue darted out and she felt the gentle warm touch of it meet the pad of her thumb and she momentarily froze. A thousand thoughts and feelings flooded her mind and she looked down at the golden god who was staring at her with adoration. His tongue now quickly returned from whence it came. 

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, it was barely a whisper and he leaned back, recoiling from her as if he had been struck. Clearly, he was interpreting her stiff body language as a form of rejection. 

It took Madelyn a moment to collect her thoughts about the moment and respond. Her words caught in her throat as she felt the moisture evaporate from her hand. 

“John, why don’t we get ready for bed?” She suggested calmly. 

She wasn’t ready to address whatever had just occurred between them and she didn’t think he was ready either. His face looked hurt but her indecision and she was not ready to continue on with that hurt. She wanted to give him time to process his feelings. 

His eyes glistened slightly as he nodded and climbed under the covers. “Okay,” he muttered quietly. 

Madelyn quietly removed her shoes and set them at the foot of the bed before joining him under the covers. She settled in next to him, sliding in so her body settled in perfectly in the crook of his arm and his neck. Her arm carefully rested on his upper body, fingers flexing on his warm chest. It was no different than last time except he wasn’t wearing his super suit this time. It made her blush a little but she bit back the feeling as she attempted to get comfortable. 

“Thank you,” he whispered as he turned his head and buried his face deep into her hair. She was taken aback by the motion and how vulnerable he was behaving tonight but she allowed it, not noticing that he was slowly shifting their position as he did so until he had her wrapped up in a tight entrance, their limbs tangled and his furnace of a body pressed against hers in ways that made her heart race. 

Her hands moved to find purchase, not sure what to do without the suit, and wound up exploring the musculature of his upper body instead. She traced the lines of his pecs and shoulders before one hand traveled to his back, the other loosely resting on his neck where she lightly touched the hair at the base of his neck. She could not see his face from how he was burrowing his face right now, but she could still try and offer him some additional comfort. 

As he shifted against her, she felt him slide one of his legs in between her own and the sensation made her flush. She was wearing thin cotton pants, and the material did little to create a barrier between her and the hard muscle of his leg. She knew she was warm and wetter than she would have liked down there from the contact and she tried to wiggle away slightly but John held her close. Even worse the motion just created friction and she felt herself begin to get more aroused at their position. 

“John,” she whispered into the darkness, her breath falling on his chest. He did not respond, not with words. But his leg moved again, this time slower and more deliberate. It dragged across her center and she fought not to clamp her legs shut at the friction. She could tell that this was not an accident this time. One of the hands he used to hold her in the tight embrace pulled her closer and one of his hands gently moved to grasp her chin and tilt her up as he pulled his head back slightly so his piercing eyes found hers in the dark. 

She gasped as their eyes met and he repeated the motion again, using more force, changing his angle, and somehow dragging the right muscle of his thigh right over the right spot. “John,” she repeated his name more firmly this time. 

“Doesn’t it feel good?” he asked, not stilling his motions. 

A sigh left her lips as she struggled to find the right words. 

“Of course it feels good John, but we shouldn’t do this.” She told him, her voice was unsteady as she struggled to keep the arousal out of her tone. 

“I want to do something good, I want to make you feel good Madelyn. Please. Let me do something good for once,” he pleaded. His hands slowly began to travel her body but she reached out and placed her hands on his wrists in an attempt to still his motions. 

“You do good things every day you wake up and defend our country, John. But, this isn’t the right thing to do. It might feel right to you now. But it’s not okay? Let’s just go to sleep alright? Let me hold you tonight and make you feel better. That’s how this works. It’s my job to take care of you. Not the other way around.” That much was true. As much as he wanted this, he was still her responsibility. 

He immediately released her and pulled away, huffing as he rolled to the other side of the bed and turning away. He said nothing in his rejection and she could feel the tension and anger radiating off of him. She gave him a few minutes to cool off, along with her own revved up emotions.

Eventually, she turned on her side to face him and wordlessly placed a hand on his shoulder to gently pull the supe into her arms. She would cradle him for the night, as the big spoon and make him feel nice and comfortable and within minutes John was asleep in her arms, every ounce of tension gone from his porcelain form…..


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stan Edgar has a proposition for Queen Maeve that he expects Madelyn to present to the titan but the conversation doesn't go well. Observant ears pick up on the conversation and Madelyn is forced to consider how often John hangs around her office after hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter probably isn't what anyone was expecting. But come on, I love angst. I had to add a little bit of conflict to the story to make things interesting.

In the weeks that passed following the incident in Russia, John had straightened up his act. Madelyn had convinced the supe into some extra therapy sessions through the week to work through the thoughts of inadequacy that had been plaguing his mind and forcing him to make egregious errors on his missions. It appeared to work after several weeks, his accuracy ratings went back up and collateral damage ratings went down. Vought was able to breathe a collective sigh of relief as their numbers began to trend in the right direction again. 

Madelyn took extra care to praise John in his weekly reviews and let him know what a good job he was doing. Her words of encouragement brought clear happiness and excitement across his face, he would light up at her words. Nearly preening at her praise, the thicker the better. She would lay it on as thick as she needed if it meant that her temperamental leader of The Seven was doing his job properly. His calmer disposition was clearly rubbing off on everyone around him, the rest of the heroes seemed at ease knowing that he wasn’t on a warpath anymore. Maeve especially. 

Finally, it seemed liked things were moving along, like the properly oiled machine she worked all these years to get it to in the first place. Stan was especially pleased by her performance as well and had talked about involving her in more meetings on his own floor, something that John had taken notice of. Anytime that Madelyn was absent on the floor he would comment on it upon her return. There was nothing that the supe could do about it however, she answered to the suits, not the supes.

At the end of the day, it was the men and women on the lower floors who signed their paychecks, not the other way around. The superheroes were simply what made Vought look good. It was what made them relevant in the public eye and made it easier for the people, to day trade their stocks but it was not what made them attractive to big-ticket investors and politicians. 

Before Madelyn knew what was happening, the holidays were rapidly approaching and everyone at Vought was scrambling around to get ready for a Holiday party. She didn’t care for the holiday parties much as it meant getting all of her “children” ready to play nice with the public figures that came to play ball with Vought whether it was for the PR or for the money. It also meant she would have fun with all of the politicians who wanted to come and hang out with them for possible talks of government involvement with their projects. 

By now, Vought had managed to have Superheroes contracted in 40 different states across the country with rotating contracts and several with open contracts meaning that they could send any superhero who fit the bill for the mission. Naturally, the most expensive and in-demand superhero was John but he could only be stretched so thin and they worked to get him into other countries so his exposure to the other states was slim. 

The days leading up to the holiday party Stand Edgar approached her with a proposition that had somewhat stunned her. He proposed that Maeve and John rekindle their romance for the public eye. After all, John’s approval ratings were through the roof and he was more charming than ever right? Maeve was unmatched so it only made sense that the two of them do something to boost their points even more and benefit the company. 

If they got together then they could do a couple of press tours about it. Maybe some interviews on Fallon or a few magazine shoots in Easy Living. Madelyn had to admit that Stan had a point, when the two of them were dating they generated extremely high points as a team and the effect had been undeniable. Unfortunately, Stan was not privy to the details on why John had been in such a good mood lately and she had a sinking feeling that forcing the two of them together again would plummet their moods and place a world of tension on the team. 

Sadly Madelyn was in no place to bargain with Stan so she agreed that she would talk to each of them separately and see what they thought about it. She decided to talk to Maeve about it first. The titan would be far easier to have the conversation with, assuming that Maeve was sober when approached. So the moment five o clock hit on Friday, Madelyn made her way to the Queen’s chambers to have the conversation. 

Her knock on the door was swift and confident. She wanted to be clear that she was here for business. It was not a social call. This much was imperative because she had a sneaky suspicion that somewhere icy blue eyes could have been watching her approach these doors. After a moment, the doors opened and she was greeted by a somewhat surprised looking Maeve. “Stillwell? What’s up?” she asked casually. 

Madelyn had a small but pleasant smile on her face. “I’ve got a bit of private business I need to discuss with you. Away from prying ears,” she explained. 

Maeve nodded and took a step back, allowing the older woman to enter her suite. Maeve motioned for her to follow her into the large sitting room. Her suite, unlike John's, hers had clearly been decorated to her own liking and made to feel like home. “Can I get you anything to drink?” she offered. 

Madelyn shook her head no and took a seat on a couch. “No thank you, I’ll keep it brief. I’m not exactly too keen to deliver the news I have to discuss with you Maeve. You know that I consider you a friend and I hate to be a bearer of bad news.” she began. 

Maeve’s face scrunched into a frown as she sat down opposite her boss. “Okay, what’s going. I don’t like the tone of your voice.” 

A sigh fell from Madelyn’s lips “Vought wants their power couple back together.” she said unceremoniously. 

A bark of laughter escaped the powerful supe. “Who? Me and Homelander? Like hell they do. No offense but Vought can go fuck themselves, I would rather fucking die Madelyn.” The venom in Maeve’s voice was so strong it could burn through steel.  
Madelyn felt her chest tighten because she knew what she was asking her to consider. 

“I know, it was a bad breakup but--” 

Maeve stood up, throwing her arm out as she spoke. “A bad breakup? He ripped my exes fucking head off because he was jealous after we agreed to see other people. He doesn’t know what a PR relationship is! Nevermind the fact when we actually did date he couldn’t stop sticking his dick in every man and woman who passed him in the fucking halls.” The rage was evident on her face as she motioned wildly. 

Madelyn held up her hands calmly. “Okay, okay, well let’s slow down. If you give me a written statement Maeve I will take it to Stan Edgar and let him know that you refuse to participate. I can’t make you do anything Maeve. This was just his request okay? He thinks it would be beneficial financially for the company if you both picked up where you left off.” 

Maeve laughed again “Yeah, well we left off with one of us almost killing the other. And I am not fucking kidding, I will personally deliver that letter to Stan myself Madelyn,” her voice dropped as she fell back onto the couch. 

“I would rather quit being a superhero than go back into any kind of relationship with The Homelander and that is a promise I am willing to keep. I think you should leave now, I’ll visit Stan tomorrow.” She stood to see the older woman out. 

Madelyn set her jaw as she considered trying to get the supe to reconsider but also she knew she could not bring herself to do that. She had personally seen the severed head in question when the incident occurred. She was the one who had to call in the removal team. And schedule Maeve's therapy and pay for the funeral services and arrange the NDA for the man’s family that John had killed. She knew exactly what John was capable of and she couldn’t pretend that he wasn’t an absolute menace in the past to Maeve. 

“Alright, thank you for your time Maeve.” she nodded and rose to leave, making her way to the door. “If Stan gives you any trouble about getting out of the arrangement just let me know okay?” Madelyn did mean that she would be happy to back her up. There was no reason why they should be forced into another PR relationship.

When she finally made her way back to her office, she sat down at her desk and considered whether or not she was going to also talk to John about the same thing tonight. The conversation with Maeve weighed heavy on her mind and she didn’t know if she was ready to listen to him tell his side of the story tonight. Not to mention she would have to deal with her own guilt of the fact that she knew that he was probably in love with her and that she would tell him whatever he wanted to hear to make him happy instead of the truth. 

How could she tell someone the truth after listening to what he did to Maeve for all those months? After she read the files and affidavits Maeve had signed after they broke up? She groaned and leaned back in her chair. Stan really liked to put her in impossible positions sometimes and she wondered if he did it because he liked to see her struggle or if it was because he truly thought that no one else at the company could handle it. 

As she laid back in her office chair contemplating these things, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and she looked down at her security laptop. Eyes rolled back in her head as she watched the current cause of her stress standing outside of her office wandering back and forth outside of her office. He was pacing, carefully with a light foot. It was after hours so there was no one around to see him pace but he probably wasn’t aware that she had camera footage fed into her laptop from security for the 99th floor. 

She observed his behavior to see what he was doing. Was he simply anxious? Was he waiting for her to leave her office? She knew that he had super hearing. Had he been listening to the conversation that she had with Maeve? As she looked at her laptop, she allowed her fingertips to casually ghost over the keys to give the illusion of work so she did not tip off his suspicions. As she looked carefully at him, she noticed that his eyes would dart up to the wall and appear to focus carefully in front of him. Almost with a razor-like intensity. She had seen that look before…

It took her a moment to place where but after raking through her mind she realized she had seen it on performance tapes. It was the same look he had when he scanned people. He was using his x-ray vision to see through the walls. Effectively, he was spying on her through the walls of the hallways to see her in the office. A chill ran down her spine as she wondered if this was the first time he did this or this was simply the first time she noticed. He would only do it for a moment before averting his gaze back to the tiles as he paced. 

She didn’t feel especially safe leaving the confines of her office with the stalking supe outside of her office pacing like this, so she decided that she would test him. She pretended to finish something up on the laptop before closing it. After a moment of sitting with her head in her hands, she pulled her cellphone out of her purse and found John’s number, pressing the green dial button. It rang and rang, she did not hear it outside of the door. So likely his phone was on silent. But she knew he would hear the subtle vibration of the ringer from wherever he kept his phone during the evening hours. When it went to voicemail, she left a brief but pleasant message for him. 

‘John, this is Madelyn. I have some business we need to discuss urgently. Please give me a callback as soon as you can.’ 

She then placed the phone back in her purse and stood up, she took her time making sure her office was tidy and the lights were off before she opened the door. Sure enough, the bright hallway was completely empty when she stuck her head out. No trace of the blonde supe after being there in the first place…...


End file.
